The orange-tufted spiderhunter (Arachnothera flammifera) is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found only on Mindanao and Eastern Visayas. It was originally considered a subspecies of the little spiderhunter.
| Orange-tufted spiderhunter | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Nectariniidae |
| Genus: | Arachnothera |
| Species: | A. flammifera
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| Binomial name | |
| Arachnothera flammifera Tweeddale, 1878
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Description and taxonomy
editEBird describes the bird as "A fairly small bird of lowland and foothill forest understory and edge with a very long curved bill. Has a preference for banana plants. Olive-green above, whitish to pale gray from the throat to the upper belly, and yellow on the lower belly and under the base of the tail. Note the small orange tufts on the sides. Voice includes a repeated “sweet-sweet-sweet!” or dry “tyup!”[2]
Subspecies
editTwo subspecies are recognized:
- A.f. flammifera – Found on Mindanao (and its surrounding small islands) Bohol, Leyte. Bohol. Biliran and Samar
- A.f. randi –Found on Basilan
Forages singly or in pairs. Diet is presumed to be nectar and small insects like any other spiderhunter. [3]
Habitat and conservation status
editIt is found in tropical moist lowland forestup to 1,000 meters above sea level
IUCN has assessed this bird as least-concern species.
Occurs in a few protected areas like Pasonanca Natural Park, Mount Apo and Mount Kitanglad on Mindanao, Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape in Bohol and Samar Island Natural Park but actual protection and enforcement from illegal logging and hunting are lax[4]
References
edit- Moyle, R.G., S.S. Taylor, C.H. Oliveros, H.C. Lim, C.L. Haines, M.A. Rahman, and F.H. Sheldon. 2011. Diversification of an endemic Southeast Asian genus: phylogenetic relationships of the spiderhunters (Nectariniidae: Arachnothera). Auk 128: 777–788.
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Arachnothera flammifera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T103778923A132044412. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103778923A132044412.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Orange-tufted Spiderhunter - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ^ del Hoyo, Josep; Collar, Nigel; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Orange-tufted Spiderhunter (Arachnothera flammifera), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.ortspi1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN 2771-3105.
- ^ IUCN (2018-08-09). Arachnothera flammifera: BirdLife International: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T103778923A132044412 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t103778923a132044412.en.
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